Why Chimps Eat Dirt, and other Cures for What Ails Ya.

[Sabrina] Krief collected the dirt along with leaves from one of the chimps’ favorite foods, the Trichilia rubescens plant. She found that when eaten alone, the leaves had no pharmacological effect, but when combined with soil, the mixture had clear anti-malarial properties.

Scientists previously suspected that animals might eat dirt when stressed or as a source of missing minerals. This new result is the first suggestion that the combination of soil and other foods could have health benefits, Krief said.